Books Journey to TFA: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray (finally coming to paperback Aug 1!)

If you liked Jedi Search, Kevin J. Anderson has written a long sequel series to the Jedi Academy Trilogy - Young Jedi Knights.

Darksaber, in the "Callista trilogy" (informal fan term for the 3 Callista books) is also by him (the other two are by Barbara Hambly and have a very different style to them.

 

If the idea of structuring the story primarily around a love story is something you don't dig, then yeah, sadly this novel won't be for you.

Personally, I found the use of the existing movie structure to be very effective. Sure, we already know what happens galactic terms (at least for most of the novel - it does actually continue beyond ROTJ), but we don't know how it affects Thane and Ciena and their relationship that's the story.

Major events from an alternate perspective is a longstanding narrative tradition, and using iconic story events as jumping off points is a longstanding tradition for tie-in fiction and sequels. In this case, the premise is this: what happens when two of the Empire's top cadets react differently to the destruction of Alderaan?

If they were hapless smugglers who kept coincidentally finding themselves jumping into the movie battles, I'd probably agree on the lazy writing. But that's not the case here. We're talking about a member of Darth Vader's crew and a member of the Rebellion (which is not large, and these were major engagements), both of whom would almost certainly be present at these events.

So, yeah - if you find "alternate perspectives" boring, or - more problematically - if the alternate perspective on offer doesn't grab you because the characters or the romance aspect just isn't your thing, that's cool. I hate horror so I never bothered with Deathtroopers, it's just not fun to read stuff you know won't work for you. But I do think there's a robust defense to be made about the value of the author's structural and narrative decisions. Like, I don't think they're objectively lazy or poorly executed.

On a more positive note, if you are looking for an adventure story, without so many immediate ties to the movie events, I would recommend Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. It's set shortly after Return of the Jedi and focuses on non-movie characters trying to navigate the political mess of the collapsing Empire and rising criminal elements on an out-of-the-way planet.

I would note that there's not a lot of Force stuff in it, and some people disliked the sparse, quick writing style. I listened to it in unabridged audio book format, which may skew my opinion, but I thought the writing style provided a lot of dynamism.

 

I read this very, very quickly. Thane was eh but Ciena is quite possibly my favourite SW novel character ever. In general I think I agree with everything GrandAdmiralJello said about its strengths and weak points.

I'm also glad that Claudia Gray picked those people as her mental images for the characters she invented, because my mental image of Ciena was Leonora Crichlow and Domhnall Gleeson (which is obviously not accurate but still) which more or less matches up with what she suggested. So yay.

 

Does anyone find the dust cover for this book feel odd, like it's sticky or rough or is it just my copy? It certainly doesn't feel like bigger sized hardcover smoother, glossy dust jackets.

 

Yeah, the dust jacket (and the actual cover of the book) are a different material than Del Rey's books. I actually kind of like it more for some reason. Feels better in my hand. Maybe not the dust jacket, but the actual book.

 

I have been cruising through this one, about halfway through right now and I've really enjoyed it. The time jumps are definitely interesting, seeing how both the main characters are growing and handling various events in the OT. So far, so good!

 

I read this months ago but never thought to share my opinion here. The short version would be that I loved it (and for the same reasons as many others did, so I won't bother repeating them).

Yeah, it felt less smooth. I prefer the other kind but it's a very minor problem.

 

Just curious is there a different audiobook instead of the one that has that teenager reading it? I read the book and am thinking I might like to get an audiobook version as well but the version I have seen (with that teenage guy reading it) doesn't really interest me. Would much rather listen to adults read it.

 

Wow I imagine listening to a teenage guy read parts of this book can be ummmmmmmmmm awkward......

 

Exactly. If I remember right there is a scene where Ciena is 'cough' 'cough' thoroughly checking Thane out. I understand them getting a teenager to do this to a point because it is a young adult book but considering they are only kids through the first third of the book I think an adult reading it would make more sense.

 

I finally read this book and it was great, this was my first Star Wars book (Besides the novel of Episode I) and now I'm excited because now that it started again, I want to read all the books.

I also revised all this thread and didn't found any mention about certain planet called D'Qar which is now mainstream....

Spoiler

The rebel alliance sends Thane and his crew for a recognition mission to a planet called D'Qar because they had reports that the Empire was building something there, but the rebels dont find anything and mention that the planet could be a good spot for a rebel base

And then in Episode VII:

Spoiler

The rebel base is here, but one has to wonder since when, one thing for sure is that they used the reports from Thane

I'm #TeamThane all the way but i didn't like that:

Spoiler

He never fully believed in the NR until the very last pages.

About Ciena, sometimes I wanted to go inside the book and force chock her because, oh God, I couldn't stand her loyal stuff with the Empire, I wanted to do this all the time.

About Nash...

Spoiler

I wanted him to join the rebels, because at the start he was very pro Alderaan, but then he turned in a Empire minion, when he discovered Thane I wanted him to die or maybe blackmail Ciena for lying so he many could get laid with her, but nothing he forgot that and at the end he went crazy about the Empire, I wonder what will he do?

About the Empire post-ROTJ:

Spoiler

It was interesting to me that they mentioned that a few separatist cells appeared and that they were fighting each other, but at the end they reunited and went hibernation mode, I'm pretty sure that maybe three or five years post Jakku they fought again, or maybe they went to serve to Snoke? And the fact that They were all inspired by Ciena at the end was just corny.

About Ciena/Thane post Lost Stars:

Spoiler

I was expecting Thane to liberate Ciena from her cell and break free with her to Jelucan or Naboo, D'Qar or somewhere else mentioned in the book where Thane felt comfortable. It was clear that they didn't wanted to do anything with the NR even if they were fine with what represented. They should have scaped and that was it, but now I think that Ciena had trial, Thane keep his service in the NR and received a promotion and that somehow Nash finds about Ciena and at first wants to rescate her and Ciena will find out that she inspired the Empire and will debate again her loyalty....

It was good to see a few moments popping up in the book, I love the little details and I loved that she covered all the bases from TCW to ROTJ. Claudia was great in general, a few corny moments but whatever.

 

So hey, this happened.



Looks like they more or less used Claudia's fan-casting when drawing Ciena.

 

Haven't read Bloodline but is there a reference to these wacky kids in there anywhere?

 

Full image from Twitter

 

Ok pic. Kind of reminds me though of the same type of pose they tried to give Aphra on the cover of the first comic she appeared in. Doesn't really fit her character.

BigAl6ft6 I havn't finished the book yet but from where I am at right now (about page 270) they havn't given any mention to anybody from Lost Stars. What Gray did seem to do though is really give a lot of props to individuals like Thane and Ciena (saying such things that the young people in the Imperial Acadamey's around the time of the Rebellion were some of the most promising young fighters in the galaxy and when they started deserting the Empire after Alderaan it helped make the Rebels a lot stronger.

 

I know that there was already an actress that Claudia had in mind for Ciena but I can't help but notice the resemblance to actress Ciara Renée who plays Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl in the DC Comics TV shows on the CW. I'd fancast her.

 

What are the odds we get the continuation of this story and more importantly, when!?!

 

Well I enjoyed it, it was good... but have two problems with it and they both come at the end of the novel, one big and one not so....

I just didn't buy the end conflict on the bridge, it stretched the must be loyal thing past breaking point... at that point Ciena had lost faith in the Empire, she wasn't with them any longer, she saw them for the evil organisation that it was, and she was just performing her duties for the benefit of the people around her and not for the Empire.. she says as much... so when the ship is abandoned by the staff that obligation is gone, she's not there for the sakes of the others who are still apart (trapped) in the Empire... I can go along with why at that point she would decide to go down with the ship, she's' seen and been through a lot, had her world shattered and lived a life for something she now see's is wrong and is falling apart...she's giving up, had enough, in a daze and numbed by it all...

....But once Thane comes into the bridge I think she would of or should of snapped out of it... and she would of went with him, not put up a fight and be determined to go down with the ship.... she's not loyal to the Empire anymore, but she was super connected to Thane... she went out of her way to help him even when she was loyal to the Empire, so why now when she's not is she so insistent on going down with the ship and putting Thane's life in danger by not going with him quickly and therefor keeping him there for longer, why doesn't she want to go with him... it didn't ring true to me...

Of-course this takes away a conflict by doing what I think would/should of happened... but at that point was there really a need for this extra conflict... the conflict could just be escaping the crashing ship and surviving the fall, and the moment on the bridge could be about them meeting up again and him coming for her, and her realising that she can carry on from this, it doesn't have to be her end...

But as this is a climax of the book, and it rings wrong for me, then the book falls apart a little for me at this point at the end, which is a shame...

The other no so big problem I had was the very last bit of the book with Nash... was that really needed... and why are we ending with Nash when this book is all about Ciena and Thane's story... It felt forced in, and I suspect (happy to be proven wrong if others know otherwise) was an addition by the story group in that they wanted to explain what was happening with the galaxy at this point with the empire fleet etc for the benefit of the overall star wars lore rather than the benefit of the book...

 

It all had to do with the way Ciena was raised and the things she was brought up to believe in. Gray makes it very clear how important loyalty and honor is in the culture Ciena grew up in. Yes to people viewing it from an outside perspective that type of loyalty can be viewed as a little silly when it's obvious the better option is to stop being loyal. But to the people growing up in that type of atmosphere it is very true that one would almost view death as a better option than losing their honor.

As far as the Nash thing went yes I felt it was a little out of place as well. I just felt it was in there to set things up for Ep. VII. But yes. Ending the novel with the words 'they mirrored eachother. Almost touching but forever apart.' would have made the much better ending for the entire book.

 

I'll get around to reading this... eventually. Still have my copy at home with like 30 pages complete but that's it. Still want to finish up Bantam era.

 

Claudia fancasts Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Cienna:

 

I mentioned before, I like Nash's final scene and I think it fits into the story but it doesn't quite fit as the closing scene of the book. Personally, I think they should have flipped Thane and Ciena's bit to close out and put in Nash before that bit. But closing with Nash is very much a "Journey to the Force Awakens / start of the First Order" kind of beat which was a big selling point. It just feels like it's in the wrong spot, not that it shouldn't be there at all.

 

That just sounds dirty. Lol.

Or...I'm dirty.